PHCSC provides the mechanism for Interior Health, the Town of Princeton, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, the Support Our Health Care (SOHC) Society, Princeton General Hospital, the Cascade Medical Clinic, and Ridgewood Lodge to work together to support stable, sustainable and accessible health care in the area.

Protect Our Public Health Care System – Take Action!

November 29, 2012

HERE’S A DIRECT ACTION YOU CAN TAKE DURING “MEDICARE WEEK” TO PROTECT OUR PUBLICLY FUNDED HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

The problem

One of the outstanding issues we are dealing with in our health care system here is the increasing number of people who are paying privately (if they can afford it) for health care services which used to be publicly supported. Also, people in rural areas do not have equal access to health care services and either cover the cost of transportation to larger centres themselves or simply do not go because it is unaffordable. The basis for publicly funded healthcare arises from the Canada Health Accord which is currently being renegotiated by the provinces. There has been minimum input from the federal government except to tell the provinces it will implement a non-negotiable reduction in health care transfer payments to the provinces in 2014. We want to show the federal government that health care is on the minds of Canadians and we want Medicare protected, strengthened, and extended through a 2014 Health Accord.

Here’s how you can help.
Please contact the following elected officials sometime during the weekend and leave an email message or a voice message on their telephone answering services. You can use the suggested message under the email addresses or you can make up your own. Health activist groups from across Canada will also be on Parliament Hill later in the week to meet with MPs to deliver the message that they need to support a new Accord.

Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
Email him at stephen.harper@parl.gc.ca or leave a voice message at 1-613-992-4211, or write to him at House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6.

Hon. Leona Aglukkaq, Federal Minister of Health
Email her at leona.aglukkaq@parl.gc.ca, voice message at 1-613-992-2848 or write to her at House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

Dear Mr Harper/Mrs Aglukkaq/Dr MacDiarmid, I’m calling/emailing you today about my concerns with the lack of federal and provincial leadership for health care. Canada is currently without a National Seniors Action Plan and yet, they are the fasting growing age group in our country. Our seniors are in desperate need of public, not-for-profit home, community and long-term care. One in ten Canadians cannot afford to fill their prescriptions for medication, yet the federal government walked away from talks on pharmacare that were promised in the 2004 Health Accord. Canadians are asking for a Seniors Action Plan, but we need federal leadership to make this happen.

We are in need of these services and more. But until the federal government returns to the 2014 Health Accord negotiation table, national strategies will not be formed. It is imperative that Prime Minister Harper return to the table and that BC representatives work hard to ensure we have a publicly funded health care system which is properly funded under the new Accord.

If you are on Twitter, participate in a national tweet-in! During question period (QP) at 2:15pm on Tuesday, December, 4th people across the country will be tweeting their MP, the Federal Health Minister, Deputy Health Minister, and Health Critics. We’ll have pre-written tweets–that do not require you to have a twitter account–but we also encourage you to write your own! We’ll be posting a list of popular hashtags (#) and MP twitter accounts (@) for you to participate easily. Tweet @CouncilofCDNS or @CHC and we’ll re-tweet to keep the pressure on!

Thanks to the BC Health Coalition for their help with this campaign and thank you for your commitment to publicly funded health care!